Buenos Aires, September 11 (RHC)-- In Argentina, a study has revealed that the number and intensity of labor protests, demonstrations and strikes have increased over the past, with nearly half of them resulting from layoffs and the freezing of wages and hiring.

The report, released this month by the Autonomous Observatory of Social Law in Buenos Aires, shows that between June 2017 and June 2018 there were 462 registered labor conflicts, 49 percent of which were protesting layoffs.

State workers hardest hit by the layoffs were the Telam News Agency, Trenes Argentinos and the Santiago River Shipyard.  In the private sector, media, transportation and industrial workers were among the most affected.  The study also found that real salaries have decreased by 8.5 percent over the past year.

The Mauricio Macri administration has implemented a slew of subsidy cuts and promised in January to cut the number of federal jobs by 25 percent.

Argentina could hit a recession in the coming months, say experts, as the administration scrambles to stabilize its economy by selling off millions of dollars in pesos and hiking interest rates to 60 percent.